On Thanksgiving

Maybe it’s just my imagination, but the shrimp boats always seem to be the most prevalent near our shoreline right around Thanksgiving. I watch them at dawn, the sun rising fire-like behind them, and in the afternoon, as they travel through the sun’s white path across the waves. At dusk, I watch their lights turn on, and long after their outlines fade into the darkness, their lights still break against the black sky. They seem, these days, to be everywhere, always at work.

Up close, the boats look rough and worn, a visual reminder of the laborious and even dangerous nature of their business. But from the shore, from where I stand, when they cut across the Atlantic, their outriggers extended, seagulls a circling cloud behind them, they are nothing short of beautiful. And now that I’ve spent many years on the coast, watching them this time of year especially, I’ve come to associate them with the season.

This Thanksgiving, whether our work is on land or sea, I hope we are all blessed by and thankful for the bounty our labors bring. Happy Thanksgiving!

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ABOUT ME

Hey! I’m Christine. Well over a decade ago, my family traded in our lives in Chicago for life on a small island in the Carolinas, and thus began our journey. When I’m not writing, I listen to my loquacious husband talk and I experiment with both helicopter and free-range parenting my three children. (It’s exactly what it sounds like.) I write about all things coastal, but also about subjects like parenting, education, and worldview. Welcome to An Island Mom! I’m thrilled that you are here!